Witness charged after shooting

A man who was shot Sunday night on Fox Street is a self-proclaimed gang member, police said, and his friend who witnessed the shooting has been charged with lying to police.

Authorities Monday did not identify the victim or his alleged gang affiliation, but said the 29-year-old man was shot around 9 p.m. Sunday. His injuries are not life-threatening, police said.

Both the victim and his friend allegedly lied to police initially about their identities and gave police a false story about what happened, Police Chief Gary J. Gemme said.

Police said the investigation into the shooting was impeded by false information given by the two men.

No charges have been filed against the man who was shot.

Trevor Nolan, 18, of 12 Byron St., Apt. 2, Worcester, has been charged with misleading police. Authorities were called to Fox Street on a report of a shooting, and found the victim on the floor inside an apartment.

“Mr. Nolan described the shooting as a drive-by with several shots fired while the two were walking along Fox Street (near Jefferson Street),” according to a Worcester Police Department press release. “However, as police processed the scene and collected evidence, the scenario described by Mr. Nolan proved to be false. Additionally, his statement was contradictory to information gathered by police.”

Chief Gemme said police “have credible information that contradicts what Nolan said, and it became obvious he was lying. The victim provided false information about his name.”

It appears the two men were actually in front of the Fox Street building when the shots were fired.

“Based on the preliminary investigation, we don’t believe this was a random act,” Chief Gemme said. “By giving misleading information that he is a random victim of violence, there is a disservice to the community. It creates a perception in the community that random violence is taking place.”

No suspect has been identified in the shooting, but police said they are following leads.

The majority of violence in the city involves people associated with gangs, the illegal drug trade and gun violence, the chief said. Many people involved in the shootings are well-known to police, he said.

“These aren’t random acts,” Chief Gemme said.

The Sunday night shooting was the 18th shooting incident in the city this year, with a total of 21 shooting victims. Five of the shootings were fatal.

Chief Gemme said both the Fox Street victim and Mr. Nolan could be brought before a grand jury as part of the investigation.

Anyone with information is asked to send an anonymous text to 274637 beginning with TIPWPD, or submit an anonymous message on the Web at www.worcesterma.gov/police, or call Worcester police detectives at (508) 799-8651.